Customer Reviews

The Beast Within (Gabriel Knight)

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I confess that I almost didn't buy this book because (a) I generally don't care for murder mysteries; and (b) I'd previously finished the PC game from which the book is derived, and so I already knew the ending. But that would have been my mistake, for the book itself is so very entertaining. And as a collector of about 200 titles on werewolves and lycanthropy, I can attest that this is one of the better-written examples of that genre.

Moreover, the book has broad appeal: it is a murder mystery with a complex plot, and with understated, yet undeniably sensual, sexual overtones (for both straight and gay sensibilities).

And historical fiction fans will enjoy the book's imaginative twist on the death of a fascinating and rather misunderstood historical figure, King Ludwig II, who played a significant role (albeit a tragic one) in the creation of the German state.

So, even if you've already played the computer game of the same name, please go buy this book!

I was a bit hesitant to purchase The Beast Within novelization after reading Sins of the Fathers novel by the same author (based on the first Gabriel Knight computer game), but eventually decided to get it due to the storyline which includes subjects that interest me -- Wagner and lycantrophy, for instance. Fortunately, The Beast Within works much better in the non-interactive form than the first in the series and makes a suspenseful reading, admirably mixing real-life facts and characters with pure fiction. The book also explains things that were skipped in the game (or that at least didn't catch my eyes or ears). Highly recommended for the fans of the game series.

I thought this book was excellent. Even though I played the game the book was far more detailed in explaining the background of the story. I am in the process of ordering Millenium Rising. Mrs. Jensen is truely a gifted artist.

"The Beast Within" is the novelisation of the best-selling computer game by Jane Jenson, the sequel to "Sins of the Fathers" (also written in book-form), but you do not need to play the games nor read the previous book in order to enjoy and get the full benefit from "The Beast Within".

In "The Sins of the Fathers" Gabriel Knight became aware of his heritage as the German "Schattenjager" (translation: Shadow Hunter) after meeting his last surviving relative whilst solving the Voodoo Murders case. However, with the death of his great-uncle Wolfgang during the course of the story, the task of Schattenjager now falls to him. He's inherited Schloss Ritter, the family estate, and the services of the lovely housekeeper Gerde Hull, and his latest novel (based on his last case) is actually popular! But along with all this comes the responsibility of his calling, and he's about to face his next case...

The townfolk of Rittersburg come to his door one nightfall in order to inlist his services: a young girl has been killed, and the family believe it was the work of a werewolf. Gabriel agrees to take the case, and begins his investigation. The family home was outside of Munich, and soon Gabriel finds his first lead: there have been more than one wolf attack on the outskirts of the city, and the blame has fallen on two zoo wolves that escaped not too long before the deaths.

But are these wolves really responsible? Gabriel follows the suspicious zoo administrator to a nearby hunting club, where he's taken under the wing of the charming, aristocratic Baron von Glower. Within the secret society's closed doors are a host of secrets and suspicious characters, especially that of the irrational and violence von Zell.

Meanwhile, Grace Nakimura is minding the bookstore back in New Orleans. She was Gabriel's research assistant on the last case, and has eagerly awaited the arrival of a new case. Imagine her indignation when a letter arrives from Gabriel claiming Gerde can handle the research - she's off to Germany! But on arriving, Gabriel has already left, and Grace settles with researching werewolves. In the Schattenjager archives are references to not one, but two cases involving werewolves, and strangely enough both mention the shady figure of "the Black Wolf". The two cases are hundreds of years apart - could they be related?

She believes so, and is intrigued when King Ludwig (historically the last king of Bavaria before its union with Prussia) pops up in her research. What could he possibly have to do with werewolves? And is it relevant to Gabriel's case? The answers seem to be yes as Grace begins to unravel the tragic mystery behind "the fairy-tale king".

It sounds all very melodramatic, but believe it or not creator/author Jane Jenson makes it work. Both Gabriel and Grace's storylines intertwine perfectly, and her use of historical facts and mysteries surround King Ludwig and Richard Wagner was a touch of genius. Jenson definitely did her research, both on the historical enigma and on werewolves in general. Gabriel and Grace are both likeable characters, despite their shortcomings, and are backed up by equally intriguing people and places.

Sadly, Detective Mosely is not present, but is replaced with Kommisar Leber (who is a good character in his own right) and the story gradually becomes faster paced and more interesting as the chapters go by. Believe it or not, you'll actually end up learning some interesting facts as you read, and you'll definitely never look at King Ludwig the same way again.

If you have already played the game and are a fan of Gabriel Knight, then there are many reasons why the book could come in handy. More so that the novelisation of "Sins of the Fathers", the book gives more answers and details that are often missing in the game. For instance, it explains the reasoning behind the chandeliers and crystals that are so important to the final act, and reveal who the "High Priestess" is from the tarot card reading. Likewise, Gabriel's case is fully explained, something that was left up to the player to work out in the game.

On the other end of the scale however, I felt that Jenson left out some details - they may not have been important, but they were nice little touches in the course of the story: for instance, Grace's prayer at the lakeside, where she places a lily on the water where Ludwig died and her visit to the chapel of Altotting with an offering for the altar - a silver heart that Gerde has given her. It is funny that I'm complaining about it since my main issue with "The Sins of the Fathers" novelisation was that it kept in two many computer-game elements, but they were nice moments, and I would have liked to have seen them included.

The best way to describe the Gabriel Knight trilogy is to say it's a blend of Anne Rice's vampire novels and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". Anyone who likes occult mysteries should love these series, both on the page and the computer screen. As I mentioned, the intricate storyline is excellent and well worth a look for any supernatural mystery fan.

Gabriel Knight, an owner of rare books store in New Orleans and, as revealed in "Sins of the Fathers", a descendant of ancient bloodline of mysterious shadow hunters - Schattenjagers, decided to stay in Rittersberg, Germany, after his uncle Wolfgang Ritter died and bequeathed him the Schloss Ritter castle. Since he became a new Schattenjager, he was asked for help by villagers to solve a fearsome murder. A little daughter of a villager has been killed by something what seems to be a werewolf! Gabriel agrees to look for a werewolf and kill it. After exploring the crime scene and finding several interesting details, the trace leads to a prominent hunting club with kind of very curious members and moreover, the werewolf case seems to be very similar to an old werewolf curse of ancient German history ...

The book is as great as its prequel. Jane Jensen proved again that she is a master of horror fictions based on real history. And if you do not like adventure games, maybe you will change your mind after trying the video game version of this book [actually, the book is based on the video game]. I hope that "Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the sacred, blood of the damned" will be also novelized by Jane Jensen because nobody else is able to narrate Gabriel Knight mysteries better.

This book mixes fact and fiction in a very entertaining way. This is not some cheap weird horror novel. The amount of history and research that went into the backstory is amazing. Even if you have not played the video game, this is great. If you have played the video game, then you must read this to find out what all was left out. The book answers a lot of questions that might have come up in the game. The game was cut short because of time and budget reasons, so several things were rolled into one. The book gives you the complete story.

GK2 is an excellent companion to the GK2 game. Ms. Jenson gives you an unexpected mixture of fact and fiction that keeps the story alive and real.I also found by reading this book that the part of Ludwig II becomes clearer than what is was in the game (to me anyway). I certainly look forward to the 3rd book in the series!

In Gabriel Knight: The Beast Within, author Jane Jensen takes you on a roller coaster of suspense, horror, and adventure. Set in a small German town Gabriel must take a case as the Schattenjager, and fufill his duty of keeping the family name honorable. Little does Gabe know that soon he will be dealing with a hungry werewolf. Backed up by a rich story line, and a great cast of characters, The Beast Within is a must have for all Gabriel Knight fans.

American horror writer Gabriel Knight is struggling with his latest Blake Backlash tale. Perhaps living in Schloss Ritter, the Rittersberg, Germany castle he inherited from his great-uncle Wolfgang, is affecting his work. However, more disturbing to Gabriel is when his housekeeper Gerd Hull informs him he has nocturnal visitors demanding to see him when everyone should be sleeping. Though the police believe they are dealing with a vicious serial killer, the villagers know that only the Schattenjager (Shadow Hunter) can destroy the werewolf that is killing local residents.

As the Shadow Hunter who must stop evil from destroying innocent people, Gabriel begins to investigate the deadly occurrences. The trail of blood leads Gabriel to an exclusive club where his own desires begin to get out of control. If he fails to stop the evil from within himself, the Shadow Hunter will have to abandon his responsibility and malevolence will walk unfettered among the lamb.

The second Gabriel Knight novel continues to add much to the CD ROM game that started the series. As with the first tale (SINS OF THE FATHER) and the game, Gabriel remains an enigmatic, but quite intriguing character. The story line is fun to follow. Fans of the series and lovers of a well designed supernatural mystery will enjoy this gothic horror novel.

After playing Gabriel Knight 1, reading the book, playing most of Gabriel Knight 2, I picked up this book. I couldn't put it down. It inspired me to boot up GK2 again and after the final scene I just sat back in awe. A well written story that keeps the reader excited and hooked, the only flaws are small and hardly noticeable. Excellent book.